In pictures: Zhao's life in politics

1 of 7 Zhao Ziyang was a reformist who was removed as Communist Party chief in 1989 after opposing the use of military force against pro-democracy protesters in Beijing's Tiananmen Square.

2 of 7 His famously went to the square on 19 May 1989, the day before martial law was declared, and made a tearful appeal for student hunger strikers to leave. Pictured behind him is current Premier Wen Jiabao.

3 of 7 Before he was ousted Zhao had helped forge economic reform. He is seen here with US Vice President George Bush during a trip to Washington in 1984.

4 of 7 As premier from 1980-87, it was Zhao who signed the 1984 agreement with UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher that would see Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

5 of 7 In 1987, Zhao (centre) took over as general secretary of the Communist Party, the most powerful post in China under paramount leader Deng Xiaoping (right).

6 of 7 Hidden from the eyes of the media for more than 15 years until his death on 17 January 2005, Zhao is pictured here greeting the foreign journalists covering the Communist Party's Congress in November 1987.

7 of 7 Zhao, who came to symbolise the hopes of reformers inside China, is likely to be remembered more for his political failures.